Car-coupling



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Patented Aug. 9, 1892.

(No Model.)

J. E. SAGUB. CAB. GOUPLING.

Iu'lill'fl' 'in V me mmms penas cn., Puma-umu., Mmmm-an. n. e.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. E. SAG'UE.

CAR GOUPLING.

No. 480,628. Patented Aug. 9, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES E. SAGUE, OF BROOKLYN, NEV YORK.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 480,628, dated August 9, 1892.

Application filed October 14, 1891. Serial No. 408.689. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES E. SAGUE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar Couplers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in car-couplers,and particularly to that class in which twin jaws of the Gould or Janney type are employed. As at present constructed the carrier-iron or drawhead through which the coupler passes is narrow and limits the lateral movement of the coupler, so that it may be in locking relation with the coupler of the adjoining car. This construction is, however, very objectionable, especially when cars of different lengths are coupled together or when a car is coupled to a locomotive tender. In rounding sharp curves or in passing from a curve to a straight section of track the car-platforms tend to move laterally to each other, and when capable of but limited lateral movement or when held rigidly central by the couplers, as in the usual construction, great strains are brought upon the couplers and carrier-irons,which are transmitted to the car body and trucks, increasing the wear and causing frequent breakage of couplers and carrier-irons, besides occasioninga pronounced danger of derailment where the curve is sharp.

It is the object, therefore, of my invention to obviate these difficulties and to produce a car-coupler which will be normally held in locking position and in which the lateral movement'js much greater than at present; to which end my said invention consists in the details of construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter more fully specified, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, in the several gures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure l is a top plan view of my invention attached to a locomotive or tender. Fig. 2 is a section on the line x m, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on the line y y, Fig. 2; and Fig. Llisatop plan view of my invention applied to an ordinary railway-car.

a, is the coupler passing through the carrier or draw-head b and attached to the usual drawbar b', which in the case of a locomotive or tender may be simply pivoted to the bottom frame thereof, but which in the case of a passengercoach, where greater comfort is sought, is pivoted to a spring cin the manner well known. The coupler is held in the desired position by means of a spring d, which, as shown, is coiled about the rod or shaft e and confined between two movable plates f 6o cured therein.

The operation of the device is obvious. If the coupler is moved to the right, for instance, the rod c by its connections is also moved in the same direction, carrying with it the plate f, and thereby compressing the springcl against the plate f', resting against the ends of the carrier-irons, and when the strain is removed the spring exerts its tension and moves the coupler to its normal position. When the coupler is applied to a passengercoach and the spring c is employed, the link o' compensates for any forward and back movement of the draw-bar and coupler.

I do not desire to limit myself to the specific details of construction herein shown and described, as the device maybe modified and changed materially without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and an arrangement may be readily devised by which the spring d, instead of being compressed by the lateral movement of the coupler, will be extended.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A rod attached to the car-coupler and projectinglaterallybetween shouldered orflan ged guides or carrier-irons and a spring coiled about said rod and confined between two movable plates working within the guides or carrier-irons, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a car-coupler, of

a perforation in the draw-bar and firmly se- IOS a carrier-iron supporting the same andhav- ,s

ing a breadth sufficient to permitan extended` lateral motion of said coupler in either directo said coupler for the purpose of ydrawing the same to its normal central position and* conl ned between movable plates mounted on said rod and working in; guides provided. with?.

stops, substantially as described; furthe-pur poses set forth.

4. Parallelf shouldered guides beneath' the T car `placed laterallyl to: the caecoupl'e-r, nwo

movable plates working insaid guides,` and a:

a stop on shoulder on its inner endlandf atf-I tached to the car-coupler to maintain the same 'in a central position, all combined and arranged to operate substantially as described.

5. A rod attached to the car-coupler through a link and having near one end a stop or shoulder and. a head or nut at the opposite end, movable plates mounted on said rod and normally held against the head and shoulders thereof,.respectively, by a spring coiled about saidrod, and parallel shouldered guides with- 'in which the plates travel, substantially as detion and a spring coiled about a rod` attached@ scribed, for the-purposes set forth.

6. In a device for retaining car-couplers in a coupling` position, twomovable plates working in parallel shouldered guides or carrier- 1 irons and each providediwithadepending-finfger of a sizetoenter and'ltthespace between' i the parallel guides, substantially as describedi Signed ati New York: city, im the county o5 New York" and State ofi` New York, this 19th lday of September, A. D. 1891'.

JAMES SAGrITE.` Witnesses:

J. B'.y SABINE, Annalen: ScHiFFERs. 

